Posted on 11/16/2005 4:34:01 PM PST by SandRat
PEARL HARBOR, Hawaii (NNS) -- Los Angeles-class nuclear-powered attack submarine USS Key West (SSN 722) returned from a six-month Western Pacific deployment to its homeport of Pearl Harbor Nov. 10.
According to Capt. Kenneth Sault, Key West’s commanding officer, the deployment was successful thanks to his crew.
“It was a long deployment, but we got a lot of good things done," he said. "We’re happy to be home.”
Sault said his crew worked hard and in return got a chance to visit a few excellent ports.
“We went to Australia and participated in Talisman Sabre for about a month," he said. "We visited Brisbane, which was just wonderful.”
In addition to Australia, the submariners also visited Japan and Guam.
According to Capt. Joseph Tofalo, commodore, Submarine Squadron 3, the submariners aboard Key West performed extremely well.
“They did a fantastic job. I’m really proud of these guys," he said. "They do a lot for our country, and they are the heroes today.”
As for coming home the day before Veterans Day, Tofalo said that it was perfect timing.
“It's extremely appropriate. The legacy of Pearl Harbor and the submarine force is renowned. What a great way to kick off a Veterans Day weekend, having our Sailors come back from deployment and all of the great things they have done,” Tofalo concluded.
Key West is the 35th Los Angeles-class submarine and was commissioned Sept. 12, 1987. The submarine combines the most desired attack qualities, including speed, silence, and powerful weaponry. Key West can be armed with MK-48 and ADCAP torpedoes and the Tomahawk cruise missile.
Submariners PING - PING - PING! A Broom Tied to the Pericope.
someone help this land-lubbin Army guy out. What does the broom tied to the periscope signify?
A question for current and former FReeper submariners...
How do subs get their missiles installed? Can they be reloaded at sea, or do they have to go back to port for replacements?
If the latter, is it a dry-dock sort of operation, or can they just swing in for new missiles and head back out?
Although I suppose its unlikely, I was just wondering, if we were ever to be in another large-scale war, how quickly the subs could shoot off their entire store of missiles, and get restocked - or if the strategic situation changed, how easy is it to change the missile configuration (I assume the cruise missiles can be regular explosives or nuclear).
A 'Clean Sweep' - a successful patrol. Originally signified that a submarine had sunk every target it attacked on a patrol, now used more generally to indicate successful completion of a deployment.
BTW, if my questions are about subjects best not discussed on a public forum, feel free to say so. I'm not familiar with which characteristics of sub ops are public knowledge and which are best left secret.
ahhh ok...
I figured it was something along through lines, but I didn't quite know exactly.
Thank You :)
The WWII Navy had sub tenders to replenish them with everything don't know about modern Boomers.
I don't know why I'm so curious, but do you know how things like torpedoes got loaded? Did everything go through the hatches on top, or were there other auxiliary doors for bigger things.
I imagine it would be pretty nerve-racking trying to fish a topedo down into a hatch on the open seas...
There was a torpedo loading hatch on the forward weather deck on the diesal boats. Hope there's some NUKE Submariner here that can answer for the Rickover Submariners.
Thanks for the article re: USS KEY WEST. Brings back fond memories of those three arrivals back home in San Diego a hunnert years ago our ship experienced during my enlistment.
Regarding the broom: My father-in-law served aboard the first USS TINOSA (SS-283) during WWII. Got a photo here somewhere where they came back to Pearl proudly displaying the broom for clean sweep. In their case, all torpedos had been launched.
He was a Fire Control Tech, and during one of his watches, he spotted an enemy ship and they were successful in sinking it. The Skipper gave him a fifth of Scotch which he stowed in his footlocker. When he went to retrieve it upon arrival in port, it was gone.
He also has a brother (1 year younger) who served aboard the battleship USS TENNESSEE. Gave em each a "Thank You Veteran" coin last Sept.
BTTT
Thanks for the link. Awesome photos.
The more you learn about the military, the more grateful you are for the jobs they do day in and day out.
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